Gives effect to the intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform between New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory by amending the

Water Act 2007

to: transfer the powers and functions of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority; expand the Basin Plan to include arrangements for critical human water needs for communities dependent on the River Murray System; extend the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s role in relation to water market rules and water charge rules; provide for the appointment of the Chair to the Basin Officials Committee; effect a revised Agreement which establishes a Ministerial Council and Basin Officials Committee; and make transitional amendments. Also makes consequential and technical amendments to the

to: abolish Australian Workplace Agreements; provide transitional arrangements through Individual Transitional Employment Agreements (ITEAs); introduce a no-disadvantage test for ITEAs and collective agreements and ensure no agreement is approved until it passes the test; remove the requirement for a Workplace Relations Fact Sheet; provide that all parties agree to terminate collective workplace agreements; and enable award modernisation processes to be undertaken by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. Also makes consequential amendments to 16 Acts.

Introduced with the Water (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2007 the bill: establishes the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and requires the Authority to prepare the Basin Plan; establishes the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder; requires the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to monitor and enforce water charge and market rules in the Basin; and provides the Bureau of Meteorology with additional functions relating to information on water resources and the annual publication of the National Water Account.

and Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997 in relation to: information-gathering and investigative powers of the Wheat Export Authority (WEA); extension of the minister’s veto power over non-AWB (International) Ltd bulk exports; ministerial power to change the holder of the single desk export privilege; deregulation of exports in bags and containers; and structural and governance reforms of the WEA including renaming it as the Export Wheat Commission.

and Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997 to: create the Office of the Workplace Ombudsman and the Workplace Authority as statutory agencies; introduce a fairness test to apply to workplace agreements lodged on or after 7 May 2007 to guarantee employees fair compensation in lieu of modification or exclusion of protected award conditions such as penalty rates and overtime and shift loadings; establish a compliance framework to ensure the effective operation of the fairness test; and vary provisions relating to: prohibited content in workplace agreements; and membership requirements for registered organisations.